Ultrafast Phase and Amplitude Pulse Shaping with a Single, One-dimensional, High-resolution Phase Mask

An ultrafast pulse shaper, capable of both phase and amplitude shaping, is constructed using a single high-resolution liquid crystal phase mask. The shaper is calibrated with an inline spectral interferometry technique. Amplitude shaping is accomplished by writing to the mask a phase grating, whose period is smaller than the spectral focus, diffracting away selected frequencies in a controllable manner.